Olivia's Story

Olivia, five, was just 17 months old when she was diagnosed with a massive, inoperable brain tumour which caused her to lose her vision. She has been on treatment ever since and is currently undergoing gruelling weekly chemotherapy. 

Olivia relies on her sense of touch to experience her surroundings and this has proved impossible since the start of the pandemic. She also has a reduced immune system which puts her at great risk every day; a common cold could be life threatening to her.  

But through experiences at Demelza, Olivia is able to enjoy new things and get the most from life. Here she is pictured enjoying swimming with her family at our hydro pool in Kent and banging a drum at a music therapy session with her little sister Imogen.

Mum Lisa, said: “The hydrotherapy pool at Demelza is an amazing sensory activity for Olivia to enjoy with her mummy, daddy and little sister. She loves every second. Olivia also never stops singing so music therapy brings her a lot of enjoyment. Thank goodness for charities like Demelza who are helping to improve Olivia’s life. It means so much to families like ours who are so limited in the experiences that are available to us.”

Visit our bookable experiences page to find out more about our hydro pool, cinema room and sensory rooms.